Meet Gideon Smith, Musician

Based in North Carolina, Gideon Smith got his start singing in rock bands in 1989, and he founded Gideon Smith & The Dixie Damned in 1996. His music is classic rock, psychedelic bluesy retro rock music. His songs have been featured on television and film, including placements on well-known shows like The Sopranos and Sons of Anarchy. He's influenced by sixties and seventies rock, and he also loves anthropology, studying world religions, archery, yoga, etc. He focuses on the positive!

Check out www.gideonsmith.net for much more about Gideon and his music.

1. As someone who has lived in many countries and is an avid reader of texts from many cultures, what do you see as the key influences on your work when you sit down to write a song?

Hail and how're you? Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I celebrate and enjoy many cultures that bring knowledge, inspiration, peace, power and beauty to my life. When I create art, whatever the style or theme may be, it all figures in there somewhere. My music may be seen as southern American rock and roll for the most part, but I believe music belongs to us all and is universal. Rock music and blues came from the southern states, but music is ancient with tribal rhythm, singing, poetry and lyrics which know no singular time or culture, so all of it comes together with any songwriting. As people are the sum of every experience they have ever had, creating art of any form can come anything they have experienced in whatever way that had an effect on their life. As for southern America, blues singing or rhythms, things like that, actually come from many cultures and blended here into music people identify with the culture. Mountain folk tend to enjoy bluegrass or Celtic/Irish sounding music, but also there are reggae bands way up in the Appalachians. Beach music tends to be island sounding, and swampy southern music like you'd hear in New Orleans ranges from blues to zydeco, jazz and very heavy metal. I think without exception, tribal drumming calls everyone and people like to dance or sing: it strikes with passion and excitement, and it's all part of the way nature takes control over the listener. Way back to ancient Greece, the god Pan with his pipes and forest stories, Apollo with his lyre, mermaids and nymphs singing. Women love music and dance, and men love beauty and rhythm which brings out their sense of passion but also empowers their strength like a war chant.

2. Do you feel that your music keeps changing over time, and on the other side of the coin, do you see any constants or themes in your work?

Yes I do, each piece I have done has captured the time period and moment and the next definitely changes and grows like the next chapter, or just a few new pages of a book. Some of it is of course similar, but also there are no walls around my music, so I just play what makes me happy or comes out. While I have always just created without calculation, I also have made a point when necessary that my music would not be painted in a corner so to speak that I was only known for one thing over and over. All artists should be free to be real natural and create as allows and they are inspired. But yes, I think if you dig what I do, for the most part, all my music runs like a river a listener may be familiar with, and it becomes like a well-loved old friend you just have different conversations with but it remains the same you knew and loved to begin with. I try not to look back on my music history too much--there are hard times I’m glad I left behind and happier ones I’m thankful I had. But one must always look ahead and keep creating with eyes on an awesome today and tomorrow.

3. How did you break into having your music on TV and in movies?

The first big show one of my songs was on was The Sopranos, and I am so thankful for that. I think at the time my music was just spreading around a lot in Europe and the USA, and after that happened, it opened a new avenue in the music industry I had previously never even thought about. I had always concentrated on shows and recording albums not necessarily other forms of media entertainment industry, so after that I became aware of all the awesome ways my music can reach people if you expand your vision and work very hard, and work only and always with professional people who have your best interests at heart. It opened the world for me that way, and so music just expanded in my life beyond shows in my area or recording for a specific fan base. I'm so thankful my music has been in film and television and equally thankful for people who knew me otherwise, I give them all the same music and gratitude. Artists should treat their fans well: if you're a rock star or indie musician or whatever, it's an exalted gift, the position to provide music for the world. Big love for everybody who supports what I do and all the good you send my way.

4. What projects are you currently working on, and do you have any plans for 2017 that you want to share?

I have several side projects going. One is my doom metal band which is very heavy called Cemetery Crows--it is doom metal, gothic rock, psychedelic heavy music. I have a few others on the way in the future, too, and my usual music which is known under my name. In 2017 I hope to release new records and eventually get back to performing live when the stars align.

5. For other musicians and indie writers/artists who are looking to find wider exposure for their work, what's your advice?

I would say don't pay attention to trends, as in worry over what's popular right now. Make your own trends and be yourself, and don't try and imitate something you see is popular exactly right now because the people who created that did so a few years ago. Make the trends and stand your ground. You have to be yourself to make your mark. Don't get too caught up in social media. Social media is a great communication tool, and for an artist networking and promoting your band is important on some levels, but it's also a huge sea of completely lost people vying for fleeting attention and recognition. I think it can be very unhealthy to be too preoccupied with it, personally and as a musician. Don't let social media run your life.

I think if artists focus on their songwriting, delivering their best live performances, working on their instrument and singing, they will gain recognition. Put yourself out there, and just don't follow the crowd or you're just a number in a "scene." Take the road less traveled and make your own path. All of the greats in any field carved their name by being original, so don't seek to imitate. Look inside, not outside, and write songs. Recognition will come if what you give is emotionally pure and high quality. On a work ethics level: work hard but more importantly work smart. The industry itself can be a strange place full of tricky smoke and mirrors, so keep your eyes ahead and sing from your heart. Minimize your weaknesses and maximize your strengths. Treat everyone you deal with with dignity. Treat them well on all levels and deliver great music, and you will be respected. If people you deal with treat you badly, rid yourself of them and keep moving. The best way to succeed is to be real, work hard, and keep your heart pure while you're doing it. The rest will unfold as it should.

Thank you for the great interview and wishing you well, friend. Follow your heart to the adventures of tomorrow.

Thanks, Gideon!

Meet Aaron S. Robertson, Freelance Journalist

Aaron S. Robertson, MSM, currently serves as both a trainer and the head of online marketing at Spectrum Communications, an award-winning and industry-recognized answering service and call center in the metro-Milwaukee area. Additionally, he is a freelance journalist primarily concentrating in the realm of music, and has interviewed a number of nationally-known artists from the classic rock and pop genres of the 1960s and 70s.

Learn more about Aaron on his IMDB page, and read some great interviews by visiting his blog.

1. As someone with a background in management and marketing, how did you first become interested in writing and publishing interviews?

Well, the interest in writing and interviewing actually came along first. I've been working as a freelance writer and journalist since graduating from college in 2007. These days, though, I mostly just stick to self-publishing my works through my blog. And for the last two and a half years or so, since late 2011, I've focused primarily on interviewing musicians from the classic rock era. That's become a fun niche for me. But I've had stints in the past with the Muskego, Wisconsin (my hometown) affiliate of Patch.com, as well as the Muskego Chronicle, a traditional print newspaper. With both of those publications, I covered anything from local city government news to business and human interest stories. Occasionally, I would write an editorial.

Simultaneously, for a six-year stretch that spanned the end of 2007 to the end of 2013, I served as president of Intrepid Innovations Inc., a small Internet marketing firm consisting of myself and two old college buddies. This experience in online marketing came to complement my writing/journalism quite well, since a lot of my work was, and remains to be, published for an online audience. So the two largely went hand-in-hand.

I joined the team at Spectrum Communications, a Milwaukee-area answering service and call center, during the summer of 2012. In addition to taking calls from time to time, I handle the company's online marketing efforts and also serve as a trainer, training our operators on our various client accounts. I earned a master's degree in management this past December from Milwaukee's Cardinal Stritch University, where I also earned my bachelor's in 2007.

2. You've done a number of interviews with musicians from 1960s and 70s bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Buckinghams. What sparked your interest in music of this era, and how did you start making contact with the musicians themselves?

I would largely credit listening to the local oldies and classic rock stations as a kid, thanks to my parents and other relatives. And I love just about the whole package, just about the entire deal--most of the surf rock, southern rock, R&B and soul, pop, blues and blues rock, folk rock, British Invasion material, some disco, etc.--that came out of that period. As I grew older, I naturally started attending concerts with my parents, their friends, and other relatives that featured groups from this era.

The thing about this period, it's simply good music. And good music is timeless. It doesn't really know what time and age is. I'm 31 right now, and CCR, The Steve Miller Band, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Cream, Grand Funk Railroad, Canned Heat, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers Band, The Kinks, Spencer Davis Group, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and Motown material, among countless other groups and artists of the 60s and 70s, were still being played in college dorm rooms and at parties when I graduated in 2007. We hear this music in movies and commercials to this day. It's all around us, and that's a testament to the quality that came out of the era. It really resonates with people. Both Doug Clifford and Stu Cook of CCR described the era as a renaissance in my interviews with them. All the musicians I've interviewed have commented on how they're seeing many younger fans coming out to shows. Doug told me he's even noticing fourth-generation fans emerging at CCR shows, kids that are seven, eight, nine years old.

As far as making contact with the musicians themselves, a lot of it is centered around e-mail or even Facebook communications, believe it or not. I've become personal Facebook friends with a number of my interviewees, some before the interview, some after. Some added me first, some I added first. When Facebook is not much of an option, I'll start looking around for e-mail addresses. In many cases, I've found the musicians I'm interested in talking with to be pretty accessible--the e-mail really goes to them. In other cases, I've had to work through publicists at first. But that's to be expected.

The above photo shows Aaron on the left with Nick Fortuna of The Buckinghams, taken in December 2012.

3. One of your most popular interviews was with Rebecca Romney of Pawn Stars. How did that interview come to be, and what did you find most interesting (or surprising?) in talking with her?

I'm a big fan of the show. Not only is it entertaining, but, for me, I also take the educational opportunity it presents very seriously. For me, it's a history lesson on the go. I get a lot out of the show in that regard. So one evening, while watching an episode, I thought to myself how neat it would be to interview any of the show's visiting experts. They all bring such valuable experiences and insights to the table in their respective lines of work.

Rebecca works for the Las Vegas gallery of Bauman Rare Books. One day, I just e-mailed her at her Bauman e-mail address requesting an interview, and the rest is history, no pun intended. It was really as simple as that. I was somewhat surprised, admittedly, that I received a quick and personal reply agreeing to the interview. I guess I expected maybe a publicist and/or some other vetting process at the beginning. And then again, there was always the chance that I would not hear back. But I would never know had I not tried.

Rebecca was very friendly and down to earth. It was a great conversation. She's a top-notch professional, and I could tell right away at the beginning of the interview that she truly loves her work and is genuinely interested in sharing her thoughts and insights with others.

I've put out requests to some of the show's other experts, but so far, Rebecca has been the only one to respond. I'm happy it worked out with her. Out of all of the show's experts, I'm probably a little more partial to her anyway because I serve on my hometown's library board and love to read every chance I get, which, ironically, is pretty rare these days.

The interview with her is definitely my most popular so far, in terms of sheer traffic. It averages around 1,000 hits per month.

4. In addition to providing a home for your interviews, does your blog also provide your perspective on living and working in Milwaukee?

Not as much as I would like it to, and that's largely due to time constraints. I'm working on that. I like to do the occasional business review. From time to time, I'll put together lists of fun places or events to try based around certain themes. I like to share my online marketing expertise when I get the chance. I'll share my thoughts on major economic development projects and initiatives happening around the metro area once in a while. Additionally, I post information on business networking groups and events around the greater area, and I have feeds that draw from other news sources. It's a nice mix I have, overall. But I would love to do a lot more with it. Like I said, time is a big factor.

5. Who are some of your "dream" interviewees, and what are some of the questions you'd most like to ask them?

There are too many to count! Off the top of my head, I would say Chuck Berry, B.B. King, Gregg Allman, and Derek Trucks. I'd ask each of them about influences growing up, how they came to the realization that music was their calling, and what advice they have for aspiring musicians.

Thanks, Aaron!